The Intimate World of Alexander Calder
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The Intimate World of Alexander Calder Details
From Publishers Weekly Many of Calder's sculptures and objects documented in this irresistible album are closer to decorative art than are his monumental works, yet that in no way diminishes their intrinsic interest. His painted metallic fishes, jostling with fragments of glass and ceramic shards, seem almost mythical. His ingenious, kinetic birds capture motion on the wing. Miniature mobiles, delicately balanced microcosms, prefigure the larger ones. In jewelry design, Calder was first and foremost a sculptor, delving into ancient, tribal and modern sources. Also here are wire portrait-sculptures, toys, stabiles, paintings, drawings, as well as family photographs. Marchesseau, curator of the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, organized an international exhibit on which this biographical-critical study is based. The book is an intimate, unstuffy look at an artist who merged seriousness and playfulness in ways that expunged divisions between "high" and "low" art. Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. Read more Language Notes Text: English (translation) Original Language: French Read more
Reviews
I was fortunate to read about the publication of this book when it came out in 1989 and I immediately purchased it. It is absolutely amazing. I have gotten to know this wonderful giant of a man and artist through reading the intimate and personable text and photographs. It reads like a detailed personal journal (my description) of Calder's life by the author, museum curator Daniel Marchesseau. I recently was able to see (2014) the Calder exhibit at LACMA in Los Angeles--and how lucky I am to have gotten to know him first through this book. Seeing his mobiles in person for the first time was an experience I will never forget. This book has 400 pages, 680 illustrations, 200 in color. I know there are many books out now about Calder, and this is the only one I need to own. Now to find the money to purchase one of the mobiles. Gamma is my favorite.